I finally make the perfect Thanksgiving Turkey

[LouisXIV]

I usually get the job of cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey. This year on Thanksgiving Eve I was watching the TV cooking channel and there had a special on the typical Thanksgiving foods and one of these of course is the turkey. So here it is.

I had a 14 pound turkey that was frozen and thawed in my frig. I took a large pot and put about a gallon of water in it and added a cup of salt and a cup of sugar, warmed the mixture so the salt and sugar dissolved. I then put the mixture in a large 5 gallon plastic pail, added some ice to get the liquid cold and then put the turkey in the pail, added water to cover and covered the top with more ice. I put the pail with turkey on my porch (here in Michigan it is cool this time of year) and let the turkey sit in the brine until the next morning.

The next morning I took the turkey out of the brine, tied the wings and legs so that they were against the turkey, dried the exterior of the turkey with some paper towel, and took some olive oil and rubbed it on the skin, put it on a rack in an uncovered pan, put it in the oven at 500° for the first half hour and then for the next 3 hours I lowered the heat until 325°. Before I put the turkey in the oven I went out to my garden and got some fresh sage leaves and some rosemary along with some chopped onion and celery and put it in the cavity of the turkey.

The reason for the first half hour at 500° is for the exterior of the turkey to brown and seal the skin to keep the moisture in.

When the turkey is done, take it out of the oven, cover and let it rest for a half hour or more before carving. If you carve immediately much of the moisture will leave the turkey.

I then deglazed the pan the turkey was roasting in with a cup or so of a red wine, drained the mixture into a tall glass and took one of those basting bulbs to suck up the liquid at the bottom of the container while leaving the fat from the turkey. I then put the fat back into the roasting pan, and added a 1/2 cup or more of flower to make a roux. After the flour and fat mixed and had browned a little (you have to heat the flour and fat together for a while so that you get the flour taste out of the gravy) I then added the juices I had removed earlier and more water if necessary until I had the consistency of the gravy I wanted.

In the past I have always stuffed the turkey with the dressing, but this time is did the dressing separately. I also added some coarsely chopped water chestnuts to the dressing. The dressing was very good.

The turkey was perfectly brown all over, VERY TENDER, JUICY, FLAVORFUL AND MOIST. It what the best turkey in the 67 years I have been on this earth.

Bon Appetite!

[Deleted]

This is wonderful news. This may be the first time in history that anybody has been able to say this:

The turkey was perfectly brown all over, VERY TENDER, JUICY, FLAVORFUL AND MOIST. It what the best turkey in the 67 years I have been on this earth.

I give you my most heartfelt BRAVO on this achievement, while fearing that you may have to wait another 67 years for another such success.

[bixaorellana]

Louis, thanks so much for the extremely clear directions. I knew about brining fowl to make it tender, but had no idea how to do it. Apparently some of the franchise chicken chains brine the pieces before frying, which is why the meat is salty enough all the way through.

That is a brilliant tip about deglazing then decanting in order to use the bulb baster and leave behind the grease.

[spindrift]

Well, Louis, I'm going to copy your recipe. I am fascinated about the brining procedure. We don't do that in England but now I'm going to! many thanks. How many minutes to the pound after the initial burn?

[LouisXIV]

kerouac2, Merci!

bixaorellana, I got my inspiration for the detailed directions from Julia Child's two cook books, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Vol. 1 & 2. I purchased them about a month ago and I am kicking myself for not having them in my library 30 years ago. It is easy to see why it took her 15 years to write them. They are a must have reference for any kitchen (FYI: Walmart and Amason.com are currently having a price war and I got both volumes plus shipping for under $50). Also the movie "Julie and Julia" is exceptional. Thank you for the tip about the "franchise chicken chains", I will do that the next time I make southern fried chicken.

spindrift, you can also add other ingredients to the brine if you wish. You could add crushed garlic, ginger or what ever to add additional flavor. Simply, add to salt and sugar initially, simmer and then add the cold water and ice to brine the bird.

As to how many minutes per pound, I used the directions that came with the "Butterball Turkey" and it recommend with a 10 to 14 pound, unstuffed, bird to cook at 325° for 3 ½ hours. I cooked the first 30 minutes at 500° and the last 3 hours at 325°. I also had one of those plastic timers that you push in the breast of the bird and it pops up when it is done. The TV program recommend having an electronic temperature probe inserted in the breast and when it came to 151° to take the turkey out of the oven (cover the bird when out of the oven) and while it rested it would finish cooking.

FYI: I have always enjoyed cooking. I am a trained Army cook and was a Mess Sargent for 5 years, cooked more meals than most house wives will in their life time and had the good fortune to have a first cook in the Army that was a Chef by profession – I learned a lot from him. The past five years I have had 13 teenage foreign exchange students and they all referred to my home as "Randy's Bistro".

[bixaorellana]

Louis ~~ you've been hiding your light under a bushel or roasting pan or something!

Another note about roasting fowl ~~ if you roast it breast side down, the fat in the back will continuously baste the drier breast as it cooks. Be sure to put non-stick spray on the pan or rack. That way, you can turn the bird over towards the end of cooking time to crisp the skin on the breast side in order to present it attractively.

[bjd]

I never make turkey but I know my sister soaks them in brine before cooking them for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

[LouisXIV]

I did it again, only this year it was better. I left it in the brine for a day and a half. I have never had a more moist turkey, especially the white meat.

[bixaorellana]

Oh, Louis ~~ I'm so glad you brought this thread back up. I'm sending it to my son. He brined his T'gvng turkey this year and was beyond thrilled with the results.

From reading the OP, I guess you brined it twice as long this year, right?

[LouisXIV]

No, I only brined it for about 8 hours last year. This year for a day and a half. I also added some garlic and onion power and thyme to the brine.

[bixaorellana]

Well, Louis, Christmas and New Year have come and gone. Did you brine anything for those occasions? Have you been tempted to try it with goose or duck?

[Deleted]

Ha, I got flamed at LP for criticizing turkey. I figured that anything that needs to be brined probably shouldn't be eaten in the first place. But of course, I don't expect everybody to agree.

[fumobici]

Jan 4, 2011 19:13:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

Ha, I got flamed at LP for criticizing turkey. I figured that anything that needs to be brined probably shouldn't be eaten in the first place. But of course, I don't expect everybody to agree.

I hope they brined you first.

[hwinpp]

Jan 4, 2011 19:13:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

Ha, I got flamed at LP for criticizing turkey. I figured that anything that needs to be brined probably shouldn't be eaten in the first place. But of course, I don't expect everybody to agree.

Didn't see that, will check back tomorrow

[bixaorellana]

It's possible that people who don't care for turkey never had one that was prepared to its potential. My mother makes excellent turkey, as did my grandmother. However, my son said that the Thanksgiving turkey he brined this year was the best turkey he ever had.

[Deleted]

Okay, I'm tired at the end of the day, but the first thing my eyes read was: "the Thanksgiving turkey he buried this year" -- which is what I would prefer to do.

[LouisXIV]

kerouac2: You don't like turkey, you don't like sweet corn. Your missing all the good stuff. ;D

spindrift: It depends on the size of the turkey. Most turkeys sold in the USA have a table per pound of turkey so many minutes. homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blturkey7.htm www.christmas-turkey.com/cooking-times.php

bixaorellana: Two things; cook with the breast side up -- the first 30 minutes at the high temperature browns the skin (beautiful, by the way) and seals the moisture in, no need to baste, I tried it with duck and was just a moist, I would recommend cutting the first 30 minutes back to 20 minutes because it is a smaller bird. And I did to the turkey for Thanksgiving again as mentioned above it was even better this year. I just can't believe how moist the white meat is this way.

[LouisXIV]

Turkey time is coming again. Try brining this year.

[Deleted]

It's fun to see this thread come back, but I'm not eating turkey!

[LouisXIV]

Kerouac2, if you happen to be Traverse City, Michigan this Thanksgiving, your invited for dinner. Maybe I can change your mind if you taste mine.

[bixaorellana]

And what are the rest of us, Louis -- unbrined liver?!

Okay. That does it. I declare: piss-up at Louie's place. Whoooo-eee! We already know what's on the menu. BYOB.

[LouisXIV]

bixaorellana, just for you I will brine the liver. And thank you, I forgot to mention BYOB and I should add BYOW. But for my French guests I will take care of le trou Normand.

[Deleted]

Frankly, I'm worried for you, Louis. Since you made the perfect turkey two years ago, it's probably all downhill from there. You are headed for disappointment.

What I would find sensational would be if someone found a way to make lobster tender. (I have found my own way: eat crab instead!)

[bixaorellana]

Hmmm. Is le grand Louis being finessed here?

[LouisXIV]

Hmmmm? I have always thought lobster tender, after all they sort of spend their whole life in a brine. But are you taking them out of their shell before you eat them, that would make them much more tender.

[LouisXIV]

I was finessed yesterday while playing bridge, but never in the kitchen. Le cuisine c'est moi.

[bixaorellana]

;D for #24, and
for #25.

[fumobici]

Nov 13, 2011 17:51:52 GMT kerouac2 said:

What I would find sensational would be if someone found a way to make lobster tender. (I have found my own way: eat crab instead!)

In my experience there's an approximately 3 second cooking window where lobster is perfectly cooked. Similar to halibut's. With experience the batting average gets better. Somewhat.

Crab is easy, although it is still possible to under and overcook it.

[LouisXIV]

I totally agree with fumobici on that. I have found that with fish and it is also important that it is served immediately. Most restaurants in this part of the world really screw up fish and sea food for that reason alone. The second reason us using frozen not fresh.

[LouisXIV]

Kerouac2 your prediction almost came true today. It was a real battle in my kitchen this morning. The oven in my stove was not working properly and about two hours before i had to take the turkey to my sisters house for dinner the not much more than warm and a long way from cooked. I had a few strong words with my stove, turned the dials, opened and closed the door and when I had the leave the turkey was done and again it was perfect. And this year the gravey was the best I have ever made. To bad you could not be here for dinner.

Tomorrow I think I will have to have a little talk with a stove repair man.